Verb Tense
APA Style requires that past (“argued”) or perfect past tense (“has argued”) is used throughout a manuscript when describing previous research or ideas
- Research conducted by Johnson (2019) found that better understanding of APA Style is occuring at an earlier onset.
- Johnson (2019) has argued that better understanding of APA Style must occur at an earlier onset.
Pronouns
One of the biggest updates in the 7th edition is the use of the singular “they.” In other words, if referring to an unknown or generic third-person, use the singular “they” (or its other forms: “them,” “their,” “theirs,” and “themselves”) instead of “he” or “she.”
Keep in mind some writing strategies to help make sure the idea you are writing is clear:
- Rephrasing: Change “They should always have the patient’s needs as their top priority” to “A nurse’s top priority is the patient’s needs.”
- Replace the pronoun with an article (a/an/the): Change “A student must have her thesis approval in by June 15” to “A student must have the thesis approval in by June 15.”
- Drop the pronoun: Change “A nurse must avoid letting her bias interfere with providing the best possible care” to “A nurse must avoid letting biases interfere with providing the best possible care.”
Point of View
When writing in APA Style, you can use the first person point of view when discussing your research steps (“I studied …”) and when referring to yourself and your co-authors (“We examined the literature …”). Do not refer to yourself in the third person as “the author,” “the writer,” “the researcher,” etc.
Avoid using the editorial “we,” as it can create confusion as to whether “we” refers to the authors or to another general group. (For example, “We have classified exercises into aerobic and anaerobic” may suggest the authors were responsible for developing this classification.)
Common Knowledge
Consider common knowledge as a piece of information you that you can reasonably expect your audience to know. While there is no set standard for gauging common knowledge, an often used rule is that common knowledge is information you can find undocumented in at least five other credible sources. There are many obvious examples (the sky is blue, the earth is round, we are currently in the 21st century); however, there many be situations that require more consideration. To protect yourself as a writer, if you are using specific figures, numbers, or percentages, you will most likely need to cite a source. Furthermore, if you are uncertain whether a piece of information is common knowledge or not, be safe and cite your source.
Active Voice
When writing in APA Style, it is recommended that you use the active voice over the passive voice. Active voice is considered more direct and allows for less confusion. The most common reason for using active voice is incorrectly trying to avoid first-person pronouns.
Active voice is when the subject of a sentence performs the action presented in the verb.
Passive voice is when the subject of a sentence is acted upon
Active voice examples:
- Scientists have argued the results of their studies. (“Scientists” is the subject. “have argued” is the verb.)
- Johnson presented his research at the conference. (“Johnson is the subject. “presented” is the verb.)
Passive voice examples:
- The results of the studies were argued by the scientists. (“were argued” is the verb. “the scientists” is the subject.)
- Research will be presented by Johnson at the conference. (“will be presented” is the verb. “Johnson” is the subject.)
Clarity
Clarity and conciseness in writing are important when conveying research in APA Style.
For clarity, be specific rather than vague in descriptions and explanations. Unpack details accurately to provide adequate information to your readers.
Conciseness
This means to avoid:
- Wordiness: Get straight to the point. It’s better to have a short paper that is concise and information-filled than a longer paper that is cluttered with needless words.
- Redundancy: Say it once and say it right. Authors often make the mistake of thinking they need to repeatedly make their point. This discredits the reader and makes a manuscript less interesting.
- Same sentence/section lengths: Mix it up. Variety will keep readers engaged and displays your abilities as a writer. Having sentences and sections that are uniform in length becomes mundane to read.
Word Choice
You should even be careful in selecting certain words or terms. Within the social sciences, commonly used words take on different meanings and can have a significant effect on how your readers interpret your reported findings or claims.
As with the other stylistic suggestions here, you should study the discourse of your field to see what terminology is most often used.
Avoiding Poetic Language
To do so, you should:
- minimize the amount of figurative language used in an APA paper, such as metaphors and analogies unless they are helpful in conveying a complex idea.
- avoid rhyming schemes, alliteration, or other poetic devices typically found in verse.
- use simple, descriptive adjectives and plain language that does not risk confusing your meaning.
Continuity in Presentation of Ideas
Use indicators such as “first,” “next,” “then,” and “finally” when presenting a series of information that strengthens your argument. Paragraphs often begin with these indicators, as they help readers follow arguments more easily.